A not yet described gene was identified in a lymphoma specific subtraction strategy. Three splice variants of this gene denoted immunoglobulin-like domain containing receptor 1 (ILDR 1) were identified and characterized. Cellular localization studies showed membrane-association for two of the variants, while the third was cytoplasmic and appeared to translocate to the membrane upon co-expression with any of the other two isoforms. ILDR1 shows approximately 30% homology to a recently described protein from rat, lipolysis stimulated receptor, that has been shown to bind low-density lipoprotein. The gene encoding ILDR1 is localized to chromosome 3q21.1 and it is expressed in prostate, testis, pancreas, kidney, liver, and heart. Interestingly, the shortest transcript corresponding to the cytoplasmic variant could only be detected in lymphoma samples and not in normal tissues or cell lines tested. The expression of this variant may therefore be related to the development and/or progression of cancer. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.